I'm looking into publishing for the first time, as I imagine many of you are.

Thus far I've narrowed it down to two publishers.

Lulu.com and Comixpress.

Everything I've heard about Lulu is great. Their product is top notch, and it ships fast, even on the first run.

Comixpress by contrast has flaws in their website, occasionally has binding problems, doesn't ship for up to three months, and it's rumored their comics sometimes smell funny.

Now check this out-

My cost per issue on Lulu: $7.94
My cost per issue on Comixpress: $2.80

So... Yeah. If I don't hate my proof I'm gonna go with Comixpress, which means, due to their lead time, I don't think it'll be in stores by Christmas :(

Anyone have any thoughts they'd like to share concerning these or any other online publishers? Anything we should know about your printing experiences?

Any feedback would be much appreciated. This is one of the more important decisions I've had to make.

I'm currently going with comixpress at the moment. I was referred by SilentKitty and Hyptosis that it was a good place to use.

Hapoppo, had his comic published through comxpress and said they took forever. He's currently getting his comic ready for Lulu now as far as I know.

One Minute Comic used Lulu.com for his comic. But he has been missing for a while so I havn't been able to get any more info.

Price is the issue with me. I am a nobody and there are much better drawn books to buy, so I don't want to have a steep price cause then any potential fans that actually would want to buy one would be turned away.

I placed my order back in mid September giving a deadline of mid November so I can take the books to a convention coming nearby. But I have yet to receive my proof. I doubt I will get the comics in time. I'll keep you updated though.

For reference
Silentkitty = http://www.drunkduck.com/Purgatory_Tower/
Hyptosis = http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Realms_of_Aegis/
Hapoppo = http://www.drunkduck.com/The_Pirate_Terminators/
One Minute Comic = http://www.drunkduck.com/Unchained/

Yeah....ComixPress has decent quality, but their turn-around is awful and their customer service is almost non-existent. It SAYS that you'll have your stuff in a month, but it's iffy if you'll REALLY get it (my last experience with them took over three months to even hear back from them). Plus, their on-line store? Yeah...I've been waiting since last February for my comic to show up there. The only way to get in touch with them is through email, and good luck with that. ComixPress is an awesome concept, but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. To be fair, though, I really WAS happy with the quality. So, if you have the time to wait (like, a few months), ComixPress is cool. I know DJ Coffman was quick to defend ComixPress to me at WWLA, but they really need to get their act together. Lulu is much faster with the turnaround, but their quality is hit-or-miss. You'll either get a great print...or you'll get what I did: smudged-up, off-color, completely unusable nonsense. Their customer service is supposedly there 24-7 (yet that "Back in 5 minutes!" message is always up when I check), but there appears to be little or no quality control. Lulu is good for quick results, if you don't mind playing Russian Roulette.

What I HAVE heard good things about, and got a great sample back from, was Ka-Blam . It was recommended by the NightGig/GigCast guys (and let's face it, those guys know what they're talking about). The price is not much more than ComixPress, and well worth it. They don't leave you in the dark with the "Well, we're the only affordable game in town, so you'll just have to deal with it" attitude you get from ComixPress. There's an on-line queue(this is one of the company's best features, it's a really cool concept and incredibly helpful, because it shows the company's open with their process)you can check to see at what stage of printing your project is at. Their turnaround seems to be reliable, PLUS they do expedited printing ("HOLY CRAP! I NEED THIS RIGHT AWAY!") for a little extra.
EDIT: Oh, yeah...I almost forgot. The guy who owns the company answers all your questions and concerns in the forum. From the looks of things, he answers them in a really timely manner, and is able to resolve any concerns almost immediately.

Hmmmm... Ka-Blam would only charge me $3.10 It think we have a new contender. Thanks Mr. Riot :)

How long did it take to get your proof?

IIRC One Minute Comics told me another downside to Ka Blam though.

He mentioned that they do not ship outside of the US.

Fuzzy Modem
Hmmmm... Ka-Blam would only charge me $3.10 It think we have a new contender. Thanks Mr. Riot :)

How long did it take to get your proof?

It seems like it shipped out about a week or so from when they received my files (I don't remember exactly, sorry. I just know it was like no time at all). The quality's great. I really can't thank the NightGig guys enough for pointing me in the right direction on this one.

Just make sure you check out their tech specs section so that your pages are the right size. They're not going to edit your pages. They have a template, it's basically 7" x 11" bleed area, 6" x 9" live area. Regular comic book size.

Also, I just noticed that if you do perfect binding, they give you how wide your spine will be based on your page numbers...making it easier to do spine art.

Wow! -and 20% off your first order! I think I'm sold. :)

I'm looking into it now as well.

I already paid the setup fee for my comic at comixpress but meh... This place does seem better now that I went and looked at it. (I had forgotten about OMC mentioning it a few months back to me)

EDIT: Looks like I or OMC was mistaken about the only shipping to US thing

International orders offer a whole set of different hoops to jump through depending on the destination country.

JustNoPoint
I'm looking into it now as well.

I already paid the setup fee for my comic at comixpress but meh... This place does seem better now that I went and looked at it. (I had forgotten about OMC mentioning it a few months back to me)

EDIT: Looks like I or OMC was mistaken about the only shipping to US thing

International orders offer a whole set of different hoops to jump through depending on the destination country.

I didn't know about the international stuff. But, to be honest, I wouldn't have a reason to check.

So, are you guys distributing through actual retailers or through online stores only?

I don't know much about online retailers except a couple of friendly recommendations, but I know some stuff about self-publishing through actual stores. The only way (or I should say best way) to do this is through Diamond . They have information on how to contact them but basically what they do is you create an advertisement flyer of sorts, give them a price, and tell them it's 60% off (basically, you'll be making 40-35% off the cover price) and they publish it in their press release magazine which is shipped to every Comic Book retailer in North America. Those retailers see your comic, and order a set number of issues based on their opinion. From there, Diamond sends you a shipping order.

From there, you have about 3-4 months to get your comic printed. Some good printers are:

Brenner Printing - (210) 349-4024
Dimestore Printing
Morgan Printing - (701) 352-0640
Quebecor - (514) 494-5401
Preney Print & Litho - (519) 966-3412
SIPS Comics - South Island Print Services
Omega Room Comics

A good google search will give you their website with info. Printing is actually pretty cheap. Most printers usually charge about 90cents per comic for a 24 page comic. It gets to be about 2$ USD per comic for anything more than 150 pages.

As for publishing through Lulu or another online publisher, I don't know much about how it works but Tom Seagel of Gunnerkrigg Court published through them and he said it was pretty good. You can probably drop a PQ or email him for more info. Basically, they print and bind the book for you and distribute it on an order basis and they even purchase the ISBN or ISSN number for you. Because of this, they charge a higher price but if you want a hands free service then this is the best way to go.

Pros of Diamond
-They advertise for you and give the material to the people who are actually buying it; comic book retailers.
-They only charge a small amount of money (you should always tell them 60% off; too high and the comic won't be profitable for the retailer).
-They still pay you even if the retailer returns the product.
-They'll contact you if retailers reorder from them.

Cons
-Printing can be really expensive for someone starting out.
-It still takes about 3 months before Diamond will ship the product to retailers
-ISBN numbers cost money as well.

Pros of online publishing
-Much cheaper and easier to handle.
-Most places like Lulu will print and bind for you as well as figuring the ISBN code into the price.
-Automated process. Once it's in there hands, there's little else you have to do.
-No dealing with warehouses or 40,000 copies of your comic.

Cons
-You don't get as much money
-You have to advertise yourself.

Hoped this was informative.

I'll be selling both online and at a few locally owned comic shops and book stores. I don't expect to make much, it's more one of those "so I can say I did" types of things :p

Well, good luck with that. I can't imagine the amount the of planning and organization a feat like that would require.

angry_black_guy
Well, good luck with that. I can't imagine the amount the of planning and organization a feat like that would require.

I've got it worked out pretty well. I've sold $450 in ad space on the outside back cover, and that money is going straight into production costs so that's only 181 copies. With the Ka-Blam pricing, and a markup to $3.99, if I sell every copy I'll still only make $272, which I'll sink into advertising for my website.

So while I won't be making a penny, I'll be getting exposure, and that's all I really want for now.

Fuzzy Modem
I'll be selling both online and at a few locally owned comic shops and book stores. I don't expect to make much, it's more one of those "so I can say I did" types of things :p

That's what I've been doing, too. I've been really suprised with the reactions comic shop owners have in regard to local creators: they're REALLY open to selling their stuff. This shop I used to sell my stuff in back in NY used to even have Local Creator events, like have the local guys who sold their stuff in the store come by for a signing and try to really promote the hell out of them.

It also helps if you shop in the stores you want to sell your stuff. I try to make an appearance in the stores my stuff's in at least once or twice a month...even if it's just to chat.

Sorry for the double-post, gang.

angry_black_guy
Pros of Diamond
-They advertise for you and give the material to the people who are actually buying it; comic book retailers.
-They only charge a small amount of money (you should always tell them 60% off; too high and the comic won't be profitable for the retailer).
-They still pay you even if the retailer returns the product.
-They'll contact you if retailers reorder from them.

Cons
-Printing can be really expensive for someone starting out.
-It still takes about 3 months before Diamond will ship the product to retailers
-ISBN numbers cost money as well.

Pros of online publishing
-Much cheaper and easier to handle.
-Most places like Lulu will print and bind for you as well as figuring the ISBN code into the price.
-Automated process. Once it's in there hands, there's little else you have to do.
-No dealing with warehouses or 40,000 copies of your comic.

Cons
-You don't get as much money
-You have to advertise yourself.

Hoped this was informative.

Shawn Granger was telling me at WWLA that Diamond DOESN'T tell you what stores your stuff is IN, however. That way, you can't cut out the middle-man and sell to them directly. Also, if you're going through Diamond, make sure you've got a bit of an issue-buffer. For example: have a few (five or more) issues done and ready to be shipped before you approach Diamond...because if you're late with an issue, you get dropped. Plus, they only take you on if your book will sell a certain amount, they're not in the business of distributing out of charity.

I HIGHLY suggest that anyone looking to self-publish (or otherwise) introduce themselves to MrGranger and politely pick his brain. He's a WEALTH of information, and is incredibly patient with beligerent bastards like myself.

Fuzzy Modem
I'm looking into publishing for the first time, as I imagine many of you are.

Thus far I've narrowed it down to two publishers.

Lulu.com and Comixpress.

Everything I've heard about Lulu is great. Their product is top notch, and it ships fast, even on the first run.

Comixpress by contrast has flaws in their website, occasionally has binding problems, doesn't ship for up to three months, and it's rumored their comics sometimes smell funny.

Now check this out-

My cost per issue on Lulu: $7.94
My cost per issue on Comixpress: $2.80

So... Yeah. If I don't hate my proof I'm gonna go with Comixpress, which means, due to their lead time, I don't think it'll be in stores by Christmas :(

Anyone have any thoughts they'd like to share concerning these or any other online publishers? Anything we should know about your printing experiences?

Any feedback would be much appreciated. This is one of the more important decisions I've had to make.

I don't want to bad mouth Lulu. They're a nice site. They do some nice work. My problem with them was just a technical thing:

No INSIDE front or BACK cover art.

I did a regular issue. And I got blank white on the inside front and back cover. That's valuable real estate. And when I got a proof done with them, they didn't have the ability to put anything there.

So I used Endeavor Printing, and got a small 100 copy run done in time for Baltimore Comic Con, because ComiXpress' lead time was too great.

I plan to try Lulu again when I have something like a book (I'm doing a children's book) or a graphic novel. Something where it won't look weird with blank inside covers.

But for a single comic issue, it's just too weird looking for me and too much of a waste of space that could and should be filled, imo.

That being said, yeah, there was a huge difference in price per issue too. Which again leans Lulu towards larger projects. 54+ page books and/or graphic novels. There's just no room to make any profit off of a single issue and be resonably priced.

angry_black_guy
Pros of Diamond

In my experience, there aren't any.

;)

I can vouch for Ka-Blam. We went through them for the first SuperFogeys book and the printing is top notch and speedy. We submitted our files and a week later we had books. You can't beat that. Price was very fair also. I highly recommend them.

I'm considering doing a 20-25 page book. If I wanted complete creative control over it with no censorship at all, which publisher would be the best to go with?

I've got a couple things in the works and I need to get out a published book for credibility.

Ka-blam all the way.
Very humble and hard working peoples. They deserve all the promotion they can get.

I just got my proof from comixpress and it is VERY good! Maybe I will have them by the convention after all.

Sorry to double post but this is relevant to the topic. I am having no problems with customer service on comixpress. They gave me a scare but I may get my comics when needed after all.

comixpress
Keith,

We sent your changes to prepress and we can get the invoice out today to get a jump on everything. I really don't see any problem getting these to you in time for your deadline. :)

Glad to hear that you were mostly happy with how the book came out!

Thank you!

~The ComiXpress Team
www.comixpress.com